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 The
Association for Progressive Communications Women’s
Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) supports women networking
for social change and women’s empowerment through the
use of ICTS. The APC WNSP network comprises over 150 women
from 38 countries who support women networking for social
change and gender justice, through the use of information
and communication technologies (ICTs). The APC WNSP is also
a programme of the Association for Progressive Communications
(APC). APC is an international
network of social technology organisations dedicated to
empowering and supporting groups working for social justice
and sustainable development through the strategic use of
ICTs since its founding in 1990.
The goal of the APC WNSP is to promote gender equality
and women's empowerment through gender and ICT advocacy
at all levels and the strategic use of applications and
tools by women's movements to strengthen their networking.
Our goals are achieved through 5 work areas: policy advocacy,
evaluation, research, training, information facilitation
and building women’s networks. We have strong regional
networks in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and
Latin America where over three-quarters of our membership
is based.
Our approach in gender and ICT work involves an understanding
of power relations in society. This recognition includes
an awareness of the unequal power relations between women
and men, north and south, rich and poor, urban and rural,
connected and unconnected - in local communities, in sovereign
countries, and globally.
We works to transform these relations of inequality, with
the full knowledge that ICTs can be used to either exacerbate
or transform unequal power relations. Part of this recognition
includes an awareness of the limits of ICTs - that in and
of themselves, ICTs cannot create gender equality, or end
poverty, but that they can be tools for social action and
positive social change.
Our members are specialists in content development and
management, policy formation, lobbying and advocacy, training,
information exchange facilitation, participatory research,
evaluation and monitoring, software development, technical
work and policy issues. Many work on a voluntary basis and
are mostly experienced network users rather than formally-trained
ICT experts. They come from different backgrounds and are
activists on issues such as housing, environmental protection
and women's health; librarians, journalists, web developers,
trainers, technicians, and user support providers. Some
of us work for Internet Service/Content Service Providers
(ISP/CSP) that are members of the Association For Progressive
Communications, some are independent activists and some
are members of women's organisations.
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Since 1993, the APC WNSP has played a leading role in gender
and ICT advocacy in national, regional and international
arenas. Our ICT policy work began during the Fourth World
Conference on Women in 1995. Since then, the 'gender and
ICT' agenda has steadily gained legitimacy as a serious
area of concern through painstaking work by women's groups
and gender and ICT advocates.
During the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
process, we have continued to work with civil society groups
to pressure for the integration of a gender perspective
into all deliberations and drafting of documents of the
Summit. In work leading up to the 2003 Geneva Summit, the
APC WNSP participated in the Civil Society Plenary, NGO
Gender Strategies Working Group and the multi-stakeholder
Gender Caucus. Currently, APC WNSP members serve on the
WSIS Gender Caucus and have been elected to WSIS' internet
financing and internet governance committees.
For more information please visit the APC WNSP website.
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